Jumpgate is a Massively Multiplayer Online Flight Simulator - set in space. It's not an MMORPG - it's an MMO space flight and combat game. "Massively Multiplayer" means Jumpgate was originally written to handle thousands of players trading and fighting in the same virtual universe.

Jumpgate drew inspiration from older single-player, free-form spaceflight games from the 1980's and 1990's such as Elite, Elite II, and Wing Commander: Privateer.

Other space MMOGs on the market are "space adventure RPGs" with point-and-click gameplay based on leveling or building up your character's skills. Jumpgate is a flight simulator that requires actual pilot skill in docking, maneuvering, and combat. In other games, you click on something and watch your ship fight it. In Jumpgate you actually pilot your ship. Success or failure is up to you, not your stats.

Instead of an atmospheric or arcade flight model, such as those used in Wing Commander or the X-Wing games, Jumpgate uses a unique near-Newtonian physics model. It's almost completely realistic spaceflight, except for a drag component that counters momentum and limits speed. The drag was added solely for playability, as the developers found such a factor was crucial for learning to control the ship effectively.